Mass demos prior to the vote in the European Parliament : majority for Reform of copyright law is uncertain

Before the vote on the new EU copyright law, the majority in the European Parliament is possibly on the Brink. "I have the concern that on Tuesday, wrong," said the CDU MEP Elmar Brok on Sunday in Brussels. In the case of a rejection of this Reform would be to Brok's assessment is dead. Prior to the European elections in may, there would be no possibility of repair, and then you would have to start from scratch.

The European Parliament will decide on Tuesday about the Reform, the authors should ensure their content on the Internet for a better remuneration. Critics argue that providers should check platforms like YouTube in the future, already in the Upload, whether the contents contain copyrighted Material. This is according to their opinion not just via automated Filter, where the danger was, that a lot more than necessary will be sorted out.

to Protest against, tens of thousands of mainly young people went on Saturday in a number of German cities on the street. They require, above all, the deletion of the corresponding article 13. In Munich, 40,000 people demonstrated according to the police, under the slogan "Save Your Internet", the organizers spoke of more than 50,000. "Our Internet is broken" and "The Internet will remain like it is," it said on the posters.

In Berlin, the demonstrators marched to the German Wikipedia-Central over to the Brandenburg gate and chanted, "stop the censorship". The police said more than 10,000 participants, the organizers of 30,000. Also in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Leipzig and other cities, thousands were on their feet.

daily mirror Background of digitalization & KI

digital policy, regulation, Artificial intelligence: The Briefing on digitization & KI. For decision-makers & experts from industry, politics, associations, academia and NGOs.

try it Now for free!

Brok defendant a massive and Algorithms driven campaign, the big Internet companies against the project. He had received in the past few days, thousands of similar letters and E-Mails of all mailboxes clogged. "The have made the people crazy, to the Young Union," said Brok, adding: "This is not a normal democratic process."

The EPP group MEP Daniel Caspary, expressed the suspicion that U.S. Internet companies wanted to prevent the Reform "bought protesters" - and sparked outrage in the ranks. "Now, obviously, is trying to prevent with purchased the protesters, the adoption of the copyright law," said the Chairman of the German CDU/CSU group in the European Parliament, the "image". And more: "Up to 450 euros will be offered by a so-called NGO for the demo to participate."

the SPD wants to, apparently, no closed to article 13

to say that The CDU/CSU group in the European Parliament, spread the quote on Saturday morning shortly before the start of the demonstrations on their Twitter account, party friends, horrified, responded. "I think for this madness no more words. No matter what opinion is, you must always have respect for the opinions of dissidents,“ tweeted the CDU-digital expert Thomas Jarzombek.

The SPD decided to make for the prevention of upload filters. At a party Convention in Berlin, the delegates pleaded on Saturday for one vote against, the relevant applications of the SPD to support the group in the European Parliament. In the SPD, the social democratic deputies on Tuesday closed say no to article 13.

The SPD's top candidate for the European elections, Katarina Barley, called on the Union to follow this way: "We keep the upload filter is the wrong way." Germany had agreed to the Reform on the European level, with the consent of the Minister of justice Barley. SPD-Secretary-General Lars Klingbeil had referred, in this connection, the Cabinet discipline.

The SPD members of the European Parliament Tiemo Wölken was optimistic that the Reform of copyright is the right filter adopted – but without the controversial article 13, and the possible use of Upload. "If 33 members change your mind, then there is no majority for article 13," he said to the daily mirror.

Brok rejected the fear of the critics before a restriction of the freedom of expression on the Internet. Even if the use of filter programs, "a Satire stuck", there is the possibility of a complaint procedure. "Where is the danger? I don't see any,“ said Brok.

More about

article 13, and copyright law reform, The fight for the Internet revealed reaffirmed a generation conflict

Sidney Gennies

The CDU-MEP Axel Voss, who had is the compromise for the Parliament in a leading role, it was ultimately the responsibility of the company, as the implementing body of the specification. "This is a hard-hitting economic interests of the big platforms, which are designed to give individual citizens the freedom of the Internet is in danger," he said of the "Rheinische Post". "That's not true." (PR/ame)